We Hold These Truths…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Today is the 239th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and as John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail of this day, we still remember it all these years later with fireworks and celebrations. I don’t know of many Nations that were founded upon such a concept; the equality of all people, and if I may say so, we Americans can be justifiably proud of this. Of course the truth is that we haven’t always done the best job of living up to these principles, and we are still a work in progress and an experiment worth working on in the hope that one day our Union will be a…

Legend has it that in a land far away, many centuries ago, there lived a husband who welcomed his wife’s rebukes. When she challenged him on some weakness in his character, he listened patiently and humbly, thanked her for her loving concern, made her remarks a matter of prayer, and changed his behavior accordingly. Eventually, […] The post The Beauty of a R […]

Lisa and I are about to embark on a Win Shape Sailboat Cruise where I’ll be speaking once every evening, and Lisa will be planning the play during the day. We’ll be out of the country, and I may not have the ability to interact with comments until we get back, but the thought of […] The post What are Vacations for, Really? appeared first on Gary Thomas. […]

When a family member—a spouse or a child—misbehaves or breaks your heart, the most natural reaction is to ask, “What did I do wrong?” Wrong question entirely. A therapist friend of mine, who has worked with thousands of couples in heartbreaking situations, always asks such people, “When God created the perfect world for Adam […] The post What Did I Do Wron […]

Dallas Willard was once asked, “Why are Christians so mean?” His answer was up to the task. He said that Christians are mean in proportion to when they value being “right” over being “like Christ.” It’s not enough to simply believe correct doctrine; as God’s chosen people, we are asked to behave a certain […] The post Why are Christians so Mean? appeared f […]

[Note: the last two posts began a three-part series helping husbands and wives understand the way each other thinks. You can read those posts, Understanding the Mind of the Man You Married, and Mr. Fix It. All three posts are adapted from my newest book, Loving Him Well: Practical Advice for Influencing Your Husband (a substantial […] The post Getting Better […]

This week the blog is sponsored by Strider, a Christian-owned online marketing agency. This post is written by Strider’s founder and president, Ryan Freeman. Contact Strider to learn more about growing your business online. At first glance, the idea notion of being a Christian and owning a business might not seem that appealing. Society and government seem t […]

You’ve probably heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child. Parenting is so difficult, so complex, so relentless, that it is more than any two people can successfully handle. Children thrive under the responsibility of loving parents but also under the watchful eye of a caring community. I have always believed in the wisdom of this proverb, but I […]

Today’s Kindle deals include quite a selection of books, many of them related to Good Friday or Easter. (Yesterday on the blog: It Was Your Sin that Murdered Christ!) How Do We Encourage Our Children to See The Church as Valuable? Stephen Kneale writes, “We had an interesting, if perhaps emotionally loaded, discussion at our home group this evening. We have […]

Sometimes it does us good to consider the sheer sinfulness of our sin. Sometimes it does us good to consider what our sin has cost. Perhaps these words from Isaac Ambrose will challenge you as they did me. When I but think of those bleeding veins, bruised shoulders, scourged sides, furrowed back, harrowed temples, nailed hands and feet, and then consider tha […]

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of newer books and a couple of older ones. The Logos deals keep piling up! You can get some great deals on commentaries… (Yesterday on the blog: Why Some People Aren’t Christians) When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home They are taking over America! Gray Hair Belongs on the Front Lines David Gundersen writes, […]

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Crossway, who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving away a brand new product that I think will be of a lot of interest to you: the new ESV Scripture Journals. There will be five winners this week and each will receive a complete New Testament set. Here is how Crossway describes them: “ESV Scriptur […]

I suppose I could be on dangerous ground here, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot and have been eager to “write it out,” (which is how I work through ideas in my mind). I’ve been thinking about why some people don’t become Christians. Why is it that some people aren’t saved even though they had an opportunity to be? As an adherent to Reformed theology I […]

I was not able to track down any new Kindle deals, though I may check again in the morning to see if anything has popped up overnight. (Yesterday on the blog: Advice For My Younger Self) Why Is the Abortion Industry Run by Women? “Imagine what perspective a future generation might have as they look back at us. What possible explanation could we offer for our […]

A.W. Tozer has had a great impact on my life. His book The Knowledge of the Holy, which profoundly influenced me when I came to Christ as a teenager, is a classic that I think people today need to read. In the book, Tozer spoke of the attributes of God. He wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Unfort […]

One of my favorite bloggers, Tim Challies, linked to a fascinating article in his daily A La Carte feature: Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can't you put it down⁉️ Here are some notable sections from it about the impact smartphones are having on our lives and minds: They have impaired our ability to remember. They […]

Nanci and I have had a great and relaxing time in Maui the last two weeks, enjoying God and each other. Our first weekend, I spoke on giving at Hope Chapel Kihei’s three church services. (Watch the video of one of the services here.) Thank you to those who’ve been praying for this time away. If you receive EPM’s prayer updates by email (sign up here) you kno […]

Some years ago the women’s competition in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon had one of the most dramatic endings in sports history. Coming into the final stretch with a comfortable lead, the triathlete reached the very end of her reserves. She slowed, staggered, then collapsed within sight of the finish line. Her mind and body were barely functioning. It was a pa […]

I read the article below, by my friend Dan Balow, and appreciated the challenge he shared for writers. This was found on the blog of Media Associates International (MAI), a great ministry that equips and encourages talented men and women with a passion for producing Christian literature for their own people. They focus on countries with few Christians and li […]

I was privileged to serve on the board of the first Pregnancy Resource Center (now under the umbrella of First Image) in the Portland, Oregon area back in 1983. At that time there were only 12 to 15 others in the whole country. Now there are 2,500! It’s amazing how far the movement has come, and how many lives have been changed and saved because of it. (For […]

In his book The Great Ascent: The Struggle for Economic Development in Our Time, economist Robert Heilbroner recommended visualizing ourselves doing the following, step by step. Though this may make you uncomfortable, it will increase your level of gratitude, thankfulness, and contentment, and hopefully increase both your compassion for the world’s truly poo […]

I’ve written before about the concerning trend of young people who’ve been raised in the church but are leaving it as they grow up. Many of us are acutely aware of the problem, but less certain about what parents can actually do to encourage kids to make their faith their own. That’s why I appreciated a recent article from blogger Trevin Wax, who summarizes […]

Have you transferred across to the new Unashamed Workman blog? We are no longer posting here, but across at www.unashamedworkman.org. The site is for pastors and all those who want to listen well to the Word of God. We have a new team of contributors writing fresh articles every week. We have Workman’s Toolbox entries […]

Great article at the new Unashamed Workman website: “This might sting.” “The sermon became our baby and we made it through the delivery! And now someone is about to tell us that our baby is ugly, or that our baby did something wrong. ” (Tim Bridges)

Unashamed Workman has moved and relaunched. Find the new website here and update your Google Readers to www.unashamedworkman.org The first new post: “So What’s New?” The first new article: “God’s Word, My Voice.”

I wanted to announce that after a six month hiatus, Unashamed Workman will soon be relaunching. The emphasis on preaching will certainly continue. But we will be moving to a multiple author format on a brand new website. This should enhance the blog in terms of the frequency, quality and breadth of content. Stay tuned. Keep preaching.

I’ll be taking a break from blogging for the next ten days or so. I’ll resume my normal blogging schedule on Monday 19th March, when I’ll continue the Digital Technology series. I do plan to post the weekly Exploring the Bible videos… Read more ›

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Would you like to deepen your ability to teach, preach, and write for your church context? Do you have a desire to take your church into the rich perspective of the New Testament? Join me and my new colleague, Pastor Professor Dennis Edwards, for this innovative master’s degree in contextual and pastoral theology and exegesis. […]

From Ross Douthat, who has written a book on Pope Francis, To Change the Church, that will surely be a benchmark for many: The conversation has become predictable. A friendly acquaintance — a neighbor, a fellow parent, our real estate agent — asks about my work. I say I’ve been writing a book about the […]

It’s Lent but our text in 1 Clement turns us toward Easter, so during Lent let us pause to consider how we might think and see resurrection as the end of our Lenten season. Our series on the Friday With Our Fathers (FWOF) uses for its text Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers. God, Clement teaches […]

By Geoff Holsclaw: a professor of theology at Northern Seminary and pastor at Life on the Vine Christian Church. If you want to expand your understanding of Jesus’s death, Geoff is offering this free mini-course on The 3 Forgotten Reasons for Jesus’ Death. Is Jesus’s death on the cross a substitution for our death? And if so, […]

I am so excited to be able (finally) to announce this great great news, a colleague in the New Testament department at Northern! Lisle, Ill.— March 18, 2018 — As part of Northern Seminary’s continuing expansion, veteran pastor/author/church planter Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards will join the faculty in Fall 2018 as Associate Professor of New […]

Sermon: Lent 5 It Looks Like Dying JOHN 12:20- 33 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and […]

Michael Gerson has two essays this week excoriating evangelicals for their support of President Trump—one long piece in The Atlantic and another shorter piece in The Washington Post. His basic thesis is that evangelical Trump supporters have discredited their Christian witness. Indeed, they have abandoned it altogether. In the longer piece for The Atlantic, […]

David French argues that Intersectionality is not merely an ideology but a religion. I think he is right about this. French writes: It was foolish for anyone to believe that a less Christian America would be a less religious America. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, God “put eternity in man’s heart.” Traditional Christianity and Judaism […]

In my sermon this morning at Kenwood Baptist Church, I made the case that the Apostle Paul was not always single but was once married. This observation emerges from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9. You can download the full sermon here or listen below. – Here’s how we know that Paul was once married. […]

NBC News has an article chronicling Billy Graham’s “painful legacy” for LGBT people. Here’s the lede: Evangelicals across the country are mourning the death of Billy Graham, an influential preacher who died in his home in Montreat, North Carolina, on Wednesday. But while some are celebrating his legacy, others are grappling with the lasting damage […] […]

USA Today has published a stunning report about sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry. Here’s the lede: USA TODAY surveyed 843 women who work in the entertainment industry in a variety of roles (producers, actors, writers, directors, editors and others) and asked them about their experiences with sexual misconduct. The results are sobering: Nearly […]

Last week, Jackie-Hill Perry spoke on the campus of Harvard University for a campus student group called Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA). For those unfamiliar with Jackie-Hill Perry, she’s a poet and a Christian who was converted to Christ out of lesbianism. She is courageous, bold, and unambiguous about the gospel and what it […]

In the early 1940’s, the ministry “Youth for Christ” was being led by two fiery young evangelists—Charles Templeton and Billy Graham. These two men were travelling around the world together preaching at rallies and calling people to Christ. Eventually, Billy Graham would part from the ministry and begin his own evangelistic work through what would […] […]

Today, I just happened to be reading Sarah Sumner’s essay on “Gender” in Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Sumner has a couple of paragraphs describing the complementarian and egalitarian spectrums. She says that while all complementarians believe that husbands are the leaders of their homes, there are differences among complementarians about the d […]

When horrific evil unfolds before our very eyes, there is a temptation to lose sight of the verities that ought to sustain and comfort us. For those watching the aftermath of the unmitigated evil of yesterday’s shooting in Florida, here are some words of hope to cling to. Hold them close. 1. God is good […]

A thought experiment: What if you had a child who experienced feelings of gender confusion? You are a Christian, so as your child grows you try to teach him what the Bible says about how God made us male and female and how the distinction between male and female is therefore a good thing (Gen. […]

Jerry Lingle

As a Christian I have a deep faith, believing that God is Good ALL the time, and ALL the time, God is Good. My motto IS the "Golden Rule". Do unto others, as you would have them do to you. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Psalms 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." ~Blessings to all~